Machines and turbines that generate electrical power from fluid flow energy, e.g., wind power, hydro-power, and the like, are well known to the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,137 discloses a Gorlov Helical Turbine (GHT), which provides a marked improvement to vertical-axis or Darrieus-type machines. Helical turbines blades are unidirection, which is to say that, regardless of the direction of flow and point of attack, they rotate in a single direction. Helical turbine blades also travel at a constant speed without acceleration and deceleration. As a result, turbines using helical blades reduce the effects of pulsation and a corresponding lower turbine efficiency that result from cyclical acceleration and deceleration. This leads to increased operational power and strength.
The Gorlov '137 reaction turbine is capable of providing high-speed, unidirectional rotation under a reversible, ultra-low head pressure and/or high-velocity fluid flow. The Gorlov '137 reaction turbine includes a working wheel that is disposed about a rotating shaft. The rotatable shaft is typically oriented transversely to the direction of fluid flow through the turbine channel.
The working wheel of the GHT includes a plurality of airfoil-shaped, helical turbine blades. Each turbine blade has a leading edge and a trailing edge and is structured and arranged to rotate always in the direction of the leading edge regardless of the direction of fluid flow. The airfoil shape produces a lift force in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the airfoil, which is to say, substantially radially from the rotating shaft.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,700 to Gorlov discloses yet another helical turbine assembly that is capable of providing high-speed, unidirectional rotation. The assembly includes an array of helical turbine units similar to those described in the Gorlov '137 patent, whose rotatable shaft is oriented vertically or horizontally. Problematically, when the turbine has a cylindrical or spherical shape, the helical blades must be bent in two orthogonal planes. More particularly, helical blades require additional left-hand or right-hand twisting in the plane of the cross section to adjust the helical blades to conform with the cylindrical or spherical, i.e., arcuate surface, which increases the cost of manufacture because the blade must be manufactured to have various angles of inclination.
Notwithstanding the apparent advantages of helical turbines, it would be desirable to provide a universal spherical turbine that is absolutely symmetrical and works with any fluid, e.g., any gas or any liquid, at any depth or altitude—and especially at relatively high altitudes such as within the troposphere—that impacts the turbine or the blades of the turbine from any direction of fluid flow in a closed or in an open environment. It would also be advantageous to provide a universal spherical turbine whose blades always travel along a helical path with respect to the direction of fluid flow but that are not constructed as helical blades.
These desirable improvements to the concept of a helical turbine can be effected by skewing the geometrical axis of the turbine blades with respect to the axis of rotation. Indeed, by skewing the non-helical turbine blades making up a spherical turbine, rotation of the non-helical blades are made to travel along a helical path with respect to the direction of fluid flow.
In short, it would be desirable to provide a universal spherical turbine that benefits from unidirectional rotation and minimal vibration from pulsation that accompany helical turbine blades, but without having to construct turbine blades with a helical form.